Steam-engine valve-chest.



J. E. MUHLPELD & H. R. STAFFORD.

STEAM ENGINE VALVE CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.28, 1914.

Patented July 14, 191%.

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2 VSHEETSSHEET 1.

INVENTORS WITNESSES J. E. MUHLEELD & H. R. STAFFORD.

STEAM ENGINE VALVE CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1014.

l wfifii gu Patented July 14,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNliTED JOHN E. MUHLFELD, OF SCARSDALE, NEW YORK. AND HAL R. STAFFORD, OF

PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSTZ Y.

STEAM-ENGINE VALVE-causal.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1914.

Application filed March 28, 1914. Serial No. 827,809.

To all 107mm itma concern Be it known that we, J OHN E. MUHLFELD, of Scarsdale, in the county of \Vestchester and State of -New York, and HAL R. STAF- i ono, of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steam-Engine Valve-Chests, of which improvement the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide simple, effective and inexpensive means for rendering advantageously practicable the application of steam distribution valves of the piston type, in connection with steam engine cylinders having flat valve faces adapted for the operation of ordinary slide valves, thereby enabling the recognized advantages of piston valves to be made fully available without involving the expense of constructing new cylinders.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section through a valve chest and the adjoining portion of a steam engine cylinder, illustrating an application of-our invention; Fig. 2, a horizontal section through the valve chest, on the line a a of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section, on the line F) b of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, an end "view in elevation, the left hand half being shown as seen from the rea'i' and the right hand half as seen from the front.

Our invention is herein exemplified as applied in connection with a steam engine cylinder, 1, having a flat valve face, 1', in which are formed transverse rectangular induction and eduction port openings, 2, 2, and an intermediate exhaust port opening, 3, the port openings, 2, 2, being the outer terminals of induction and eduction ports, 2, 2, leading to opposite ends of the cylinder, 1, and the port opening, 3, being the outer terminal of an exhaust port, 3, leading to an exhaust 1 e. p lhe construction thus far described will be seen to be that usually adopted in cases where a flat slide valve is used to effect the steam distribution functions of the cylinder.

In the practice of our invention, we provide a valve chamber, 4, which is of Q or segmental transverse section, and is open at its ends, and at its bottom, the inside width.

of which corresponds with the len h of the cylinder port openings, 2, 2, an 3. I The valve chamber, 4, is seated on the valve face, 1, and is secured, detachably, to the c linder, by studs, 5, passing through lateral ugs, 4, at the ends of the valve chamber,-gaskets, which are shown in the form of joint wires, 6, being interposed between the bottom of the valve chamber and the valve face. Each of the port openings, 2, 2, and 3, is surrounded by a gasket, and an additional gasket extends entirely around the outer sides of the ports, 2, 2, and the ends of all the ports. By this construction, the gaskets are doubled adjacent to the edges of the valve chamber, in which location greater pressure may be exerted on them than on the single inner gaskets.

Bridged orts, 4", 4', 4, are formed in the valve chamber, the ports, 4 4, re 'stering with the port openings, 2, 2, of t e valve face, and the ports, 4, registeringwith the port opening, 3, and, as a preferred construction, an open ended cylindrical bushing, 7, is fitted centrally in the valve chamber, and is held in position therein by set screws, 7. In order to prevent longitudinal move-' ment of the valve chamber, relatively to the registration of its ports with the cylinder ports, transversely extending lips, 4, are formed 'on its ends, which lips engage the adjacent ends of the valve face, 1*. Bridged ports, 7 7 7 are formed in the bushing, 7, the ports 7*, 7", registering with the valve chamber ports, 4", 4", and the orts, 7, registering with the valve chain or ports, 4. A piston valve comprising two cylindrical heads, 8, 8, each fitted with a suitable pack ing ring or rin s, and an intermediate spool, 8, which is o substantially elliptical section, with its major axis perpendicular to the valve face, is fitted in the bushing, 7, the heads and spool being rigidly connected by a bolt, 8, passing through the upper por tions of the connected members, and provided with a nut, 8, and by an operating valve stem, 9, having a collar, 9*, and a nut, 9 engaging a thread on one of its ends, the abutting valve members being clamped between said collar and nut. The openings in the heads, 8, 8, through which the valve stem passes may be made of larger diameter than the valve stem or be vertically slotted,

to permit of relative adjustment of the valve inclosed within a valve chest, 10, which is an integral casting, no separate cover or heads being used, and which is substantially similar in transverse section to the valve chamber, and is secured to the cylinder, 1, by studs, 11, and nuts, 11, which, by reason of the absence of detachable closin members, may be set closely together, an liability to leakage from the chest be correspondingly prevented. The valve stem passes out through a stufling box,.10, in the-rear side of the valve chest, and access to the nut, 9P,

- of the valve stem, for its attachment to, and

detachment from, the stem, is afforded through an opening, 10", in the front side of the chest,-which is closed by a removable plug, 10". A peep hole, closed by a (plug, 12, is formedin the valve chamber, an a similar'peep, hole, closed by a plug, 13, is formed in the valve chest in line therewith, forthe purpose of enabling the position of the valve to be seen from the outside of the chest.

The valve chamber, 4, may be held in position on the valve face by. set screws, 14, threaded inlugs on the sides of the valve chest, andbearing on lateral shoulders on the valve chamber, in substantially the ver tical planes of the joints of the sides thereof with the valve face in a dition to its lower connection thereto by the studs, 5, as before described, 'or if found desirable, the studs may be detached, and the set screws,

- 14, slackened, thereby allowing .the valve chamber to be held down to the valve face by the unbalanced steam pressure only, and to lift to relieve excessive pressure due to the presence of water in the cylinder. In such case, the joint wires below the valve cham ber are omitted, and the chamber spotted to the seat, and the valve is not bound vertically by thevalve stem, but is free to rise relatively thereto. Steam is admitted to the valve chest through ports, 2", 2 adjoining the ends of the cylinder, and the valve chest and the nuts of the studs by which it. is connected to the cylinder, are inclosed in a light sheet metal casing, 15.

Our invention enables an existing slide distribution valve to be replaced in a steam engine by a more effective piston valve, without involving the disuse or alteration of the cylinder, and at the least practicable expense. While the invention is applicable to any of the various designs of reciprocating engines, it is specially designed for, and particularly advantageous in, locomotives. in which superheated steam is now being generally used, andin which the operation and maintenance of flat slide valves is mate- -rially greater in cost and less effective than is the case with piston valves.

\Ve claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with an engine cyl inder havingl a transversely ported valve face, of a valve chamber of segmental transverse section, having ports registering with the cylinder ports, a piston distribution valve fitted to reciprocate in the valve chamber and controlling the ports thereof, bolts engaging the cylinder and securing the valve chamber de-tachably thereto, an integral valve chest, of substantially similar transverse section. to the valve chamber, and inclosing said chamber,' and bolts securing said valve chest to the cylinder, independently of the valve chamber.

2. The combination, with an engine cylinder having a transversely ported valve face, of a valve chamber of segmental trans verse section, having ports registering with the cylinder ports, bolts securing said valve chamber detach'ably to the cylinder, lips on said valve chamber engaging the ends of the valve face, a piston distribution valve fitted to reciprocate in the valve chamber and controlling the ports thereof, and an integral valve chest, of substantially. similar transverse section to the valve chamber, which incloses said chamber and is secured to the cylinder, independently thereof.

. 3. The combination, with an engine cylinder having a transversely ported valve face, of a valve chamber having ports registering with the cylinder ports, joint gaskets interposed between the valve chamber and the valve face, one of said joint gaskets surrounding each cylinder port and another inclosing the outer sides and ends of the set of cylinder ports, connections securing the valve chamber detachably to the cylinder, a

piston distribution valve fitted to reciprocate in the valve chamber and controlling 'cate in the valve chamber and controlling the ports thereof, an integral valve chest, of substantially similar transverse section to the valve chamber, which inoloses said chamber and is secured to the cylinder, and

set screws engaging said valve chest and bearing on the opposite sides of the valve chamber, in substantially the vertical planes of the joints thereof with the valve face.

5. The combination, with an engine cylinder having a transversely ported valve face, of a valve chamber of segmental transverse section, having ports registering with the cylinder ports, a distribution valve comprising two end pistons and an intermediate spool of vertically elongated and transversely reduced transverse section; manned to reciprocate in the valve chamber and control the ports thereof, and an integral valve chest which incloses the valve cham ber and is secured to the cylinder.

6. The combination, with an engine cylinder having a transversely ported'valve face, of a valve chamber having ports registering with the cylinder portsca distribution valve fitted to reciprocate in the valve chamber and comprising two end pistons and an intermediate spool of vertically elongated and transversely reduced transverse sectlon, a longitudinal bolt and nut connecting the pistons and spool, a valve stem passlng through the nistons and spool and having a collar abutting on one piston and a nut abutting on the other, an integral valve chest which incloses the valve chamber and is secured to the cylinder, and a detachable lug closing an end opening in the valve 0 est in line axially with the JOHN E. l-lLFE-LD, HAL R. STAFFQRD.

Witnesses:

HERMAN F. BALL JAB. MOLAUGHLIN.

,valve s em. 

